


prome (again, but gayer)

by SalTheMander



Category: Victorious (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-07
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-13 02:40:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29894367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SalTheMander/pseuds/SalTheMander
Summary: with the second annual "Prome" approaching, Jade is quickly running out of ideas as to whom to bring to the event
Relationships: Robbie Shapiro/Cat Valentine, Tori Vega/Jade West
Comments: 10
Kudos: 99





	prome (again, but gayer)

**Author's Note:**

> woah hey this isn't Frozen. Enjoy me extracting every last molecule of dopamine that i can find from my current interest while actually writing something for once.
> 
> t'ain't perfect, but i had fun!

Jade stared with intrigue at the poster on the wall. “ _ Prome! This Friday at 7! _ ” was printed in bold italics, courtesy of the technical design students (who, ironically, had little talent in graphic design). 

Her thoughts strayed to Sinjin and she shuddered in disgust, hoping that he wouldn’t have the gall to ask her out. Since she had broken up with Beck, Jade had been approached by a number of boys who were apparently stupid enough to try talking to her, but all it took was a glare before they lost their edge and Jade was again left to her own devices. She couldn’t help but admire their persistence, though. Sinjin and his worm-like friends seemed determined to court any pretty girl they could find who didn’t have a boyfriend, and Jade was now one of those unlucky girls.

Jade’s relationship with Beck had run its course before they decided that they had each had enough. The relationship was never all that easy for either of them to handle, but it wasn’t meant to be. They both knew what they had to deal with when dating each other, and they were okay with it. Even so, somehow or other, things had just gotten… boring. Had Jade been told this three years ago, she wouldn’t have believed it, but the spark between them had simply gone out. No big fights, no screaming. She was actually glad that they broke up; being single wasn’t nearly as lonely as she thought it was going to be, and being Beck’s friend was almost possible. 

However, this meant that she had no one to ask to Prome. 

_ As if I’m actually going to Tori’s stupid event. _ She rolled her eyes and adjusted her backpack before striding to Sikowitz’s class. Their classmates had taken a vote and elected to give Prome a second chance after Jade’s bitter sabotage last year, much to Tori’s delight and Jade’s dismay. At least there were no scheduling conflicts this time. There was no way Jade would tolerate Tori stealing her show yet again.

Jade caught a glimpse of Sikowitz’s whiteboard as she walked into class and prepared herself for one of his more outlandish lessons. 

As predicted, Mr. Sikowitz’s class was as peculiar as ever, with today’s lesson focusing on the history of coconuts in theater. The students were assured that it had nothing to do with his recent coconut shortage, though their teacher’s downcast mood said otherwise. 

The bell rang after a brief eternity, and Jade hoisted her bag onto her shoulders, eager to be the first to leave the class. 

“One moment, my students!” Sikowitz called. The students in question flopped back into their seats. “I am sure you are all aware of Prome, and that it is happening this Friday evening.”

Tori beamed, her dark eyes lighting up at the mention of her event. Jade groaned.

“That being said,” Sikowitz continued. “You teenagers are in need of some excitement.”

Having initially planned to skip Prome this year, Jade didn’t like where this was going.

“You all are going to attend this Prome, and you must find yourselves a date to bring with you. If you fail to do so, your grade will suffer.”

It was immediately clear who in their class had already found a date and who had not, as there were fervent complaints from those who were apparently single (including Jade), while the rest were either indifferent or delighted. To Jade’s knowledge, Tori didn’t have anyone to go with, yet she was among the few singles to seem optimistic. 

Sikowitz dismissed the class, and they made their way to lunch, buzzing about who was asking whom to the dance. 

Jade sat down inelegantly with her friends (and Tori), interrupting a conversation that was definitely focused on Prome.

“So who are you going with, Andre?” Tori resumed with sly interest.

“Well, there’s this girl in my chorus class, I figure I’ll ask her out later.” Andre replied.

“Very nice, very nice. Beck?” Tori directed her attention to Beck, and Jade followed suit. 

“I’m not sure who to ask.” Beck shrugged without looking at Jade. She tried to ignore the assorted feelings of bitterness towards him for not even considering her as a choice.

“That’s fair.” Andre said as Cat and Robbie joined them. Rex was nowhere to be seen. They were notably holding hands, which answered Tori’s question before she even asked. Jade saw her smile, a proud and happy smile for the new couple that softened her features pleasantly. 

There was a pause. 

“Is anyone going to ask me who  _ I’m _ going to Prome with?” Tori feigned a hurt expression.

Jade stared at her before asking sweetly, “Tori?”

“Yes, Jade?”

“I don’t care.” That was a lie, but hell if she would let Tori know that.

Tori rolled her eyes.

Cat obliged her. “Who are you going with, Tori?”

“No one asked me yet.”

“Bold of you to assume someone will.” Jade muttered, eliciting a glare. 

“What about you, Jade?” Tori asked, irritated. “Was anyone brave enough to ask you?”

Jade’s stare was piercing, but Tori didn’t break eye contact. This time it was Jade who rolled her eyes. “No.” 

Tori scoffed at her, and Jade sneered in response. 

“You can all go together!” Everyone stared at Cat for her remark. “Since you, Jade and Beck don’t have dates, why not all go with each other to Prome?” 

Beck, Tori, and Jade glanced awkwardly at each other, then at Cat.

“No.” They said in unison.

Cat shrugged. 

They sat in an uncomfortable silence for a moment, all except for Cat, who went on eating her lunch, blissfully unaware of the tangled implications of her comment. 

Jade stirred her food absently as she considered the pros and cons of various Prome candidates. There was no way she was asking Beck; that ship had sailed. She ran through the -- very short -- list of possible suitors, each less appealing than the last. Jade decided that she would have to be the one to ask, since anyone brave enough to even approach her would likely be someone of Sinjin’s caliber. This had its advantages, and gave Jade an excuse to yell at someone, but in times like this it was decidedly inconvenient. 

Tori brought her back to the real world. Jade must have missed a really funny joke, because Tori’s face was buried in her hands and she was shaking with laughter. Her laugh was light, chipper, and managed to be a little bit less annoying than normal. 

An idea flashed through Jade’s mind. 

_ Absolutely not.  _

She wasn’t even really friends with Tori… was she? Kind of. Anyway, it was a ridiculous idea.

Tori was the last person Jade would ask to Prome.

The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch, and Jade trudged to her next class with the idea burning in her mind.

Jade felt panic begin to rise within her as she realized it was Friday afternoon and she still had no one to bring to Prome. She ran through her list of potential dates for a seventeenth time and ruled out the undesirables -- that is to say all of them. Maybe she just wouldn’t go. Jade could tolerate a drop in her grade just this once.

But her father couldn’t. 

Jade groaned as she exited her last class. At least she wasn’t the only one without a date: at lunch, Tori had loudly complained that no one had asked her out. Sinjin had made an attempt to remedy this, but he was promptly and effectively turned down. 

_ Tori… _

If Jade was going to be miserable at this stupid Prome, at least she could bring Tori’s mood down too. Misery loves company, after all.

She caught Tori at her ridiculous “Make It Shine” locker.

“Vega,” Jade said, commanding her attention. “you’re going to Prome with me. I’ll pick you up at six-thirty.”

And with that, Jade turned and briskly walked away, leaving no room for discussion.

Jade had resigned herself to a night of dull torture long before she knocked on Tori’s door. She had picked out a turquoise off-the-shoulder dress that she thought didn’t look terrible, and she did her makeup to match. At least she would look good tonight, if nothing else. 

As Jade stood by the door, she wondered if Tori would even answer. Maybe she had found a date and was already at the school, or maybe she was sitting in her room waiting for Jade to leave. Maybe she had disappeared under mysterious circumstances, thus alleviating nearly all of Jade’s problems. 

Alas, Tori answered the door before Jade could come up with the specifics of her latest theory.

Jade’s thoughts came to a halt as she looked at Tori. She wore an elegant red dress with a characteristic frilly skirt. White gloves extended the length of her arms and her hair cascaded in waves down her shoulders. Her makeup accentuated her features to an almost ethereal degree, and her eyes were as cheery as ever. Tori was somehow still looking forward to Prome, despite the character of her date. 

Jade cleared her throat, snapping out of whatever haze she was in. 

“Jade,” Tori said with cautious optimism. “You look… pretty.” 

Jade stared at her for a moment, hoping the warmth in her face wasn’t visible.

“Let’s go.” She replied curtly. She escorted her date to the car without another word. 

Once in the car, Tori tried to make conversation, but Jade was rather resistant to her efforts. 

“You aren’t driving me out to the desert again, are you?”

“I wish.” Jade kept her eyes on the road, which unfortunately led to the school.

“What were you trying to do that day, anyway? And why was there a shovel in the backseat...?” Tori seemed uneasy. The only other time she had been alone in the car with Jade had ended with her jumping out of the moving car to escape a… shady situation. 

“Don’t worry about it.” 

As they drove on in silence, Jade could feel Tori’s eyes on her. 

“What?!” Jade snapped.

“You’re wearing that necklace I gave you!” Tori said, surprised.

Jade was glad it was dark out, as she felt her face heat up. After that forced “date” that Sikowitz made them go on with one another last year, Tori had handed Jade a small opal necklace. Tori never explained why she gave it to her, and Jade didn’t know why she wore it. But she did... she had hoped Tori wouldn’t notice. 

“Yeah... I am.” Jade saw Tori smile out of the corner of her eye.

This was going to be worse than she thought.

After an agonizingly awkward car ride, they heard the obnoxiously loud music of the party, and Jade pulled into the school parking lot.

The Asphalt Cafe was packed with students and their dates, and the tables were pushed to the corners to accommodate them. Teachers talked lazily with one another, keeping an uninterested eye on the party. 

They stepped out of the car with Tori looking as happy as ever, and Jade couldn’t help but envy her excitement. 

“Come on, let’s go find our friends!” Tori said as she walked into the crowd. Jade followed, only because she had the same thought. Not because Tori told her to. 

Cat and Robbie were dancing together, evidently having a great time, and Andre was also with his partner on the dance floor, showing off his moves. Jade and Tori found Beck and his date standing by the buffet table, and Jade felt a residual and unwanted twinge of jealousy as she saw this strange girl clinging to him. 

Without thinking, she made an effort to get back at Beck. This effort involved grabbing Tori’s hand without warning.

Tori turned to Jade, alarmed. “What are you doing?” She notably didn’t pull her hand away. 

Jade didn’t falter.

“Shut up!” she hissed.

Beck looked at them, a bit confused himself. “Hi there, Tori… Jade,” he said. 

“Hi, Beck,” Tori said, casting sidelong glances at Jade. “I see you have a new girlfriend.”

The new girlfriend in question introduced herself. Jade didn’t bother remembering her name. 

Beck looked from Jade to Tori, then from Tori to Jade, an amused expression on his face. “I see you also have a new girlfriend, Jade.” 

At this, Jade immediately let go of Tori’s hand, fuming. 

Tori stepped in before Jade could punch him. “This is just for tonight! Right Jade?”

“Correct.” Jade said as she made her way to the punch bowl a few yards away. There, she could keep an eye on the three of them without getting involved. Jade didn’t hear her name, which was all she cared about, and there was mostly only small talk and laughter; gossip was kept to a minimum. Of course Tori could talk to Beck better than Jade could. 

Tori seemed to be having far too much fun.

Jade stormed back over, a cup of cold fruit punch in hand. Approaching Tori from behind, Jade pulled back her dress and poured her juice down it. Tori inhaled sharply and faced Jade slowly, shocked. Jade smirked.

Tori’s shocked expression became a scowl. She stiffly retrieved a cupcake from a dessert tray and stuffed it down the front of Jade’s dress. 

Jade punched Tori in the face.

Mr. Sikowitz and Beck interrupted before a full-on wrestling match could ensue.

“What is happening?!” Sikowitz comforted the injured Tori. “Jade, why did you punch her?”

“She shoved a cupcake into my bra!” Jade yelled, desperate to escape Beck’s restraint and funnel her anger into Tori. 

“You poured punch down my dress!” Tori retaliated.

“Enough! Both of you, go to the restrooms  _ peacefully _ and clean yourselves up.” Sikowitz directed his words to Beck. “go with them and make sure they behave.” 

“Sure.” Beck nodded. He let go of Jade, who glared at Tori before making her way inside the school. Beck and Tori followed behind her. 

The two girls said nothing as they approached the girls’ restroom. Naturally, being distinctly male, Beck stayed outside.

“Don’t tear each other apart please,” he warned.

“We won’t,” Tori assured him. 

Jade could make no such promise.

Once inside, Tori took a paper towel and wiped the cut that one of Jade’s many rings had made on her cheek. Jade was silently proud of this achievement, and she carefully wiped the frosting off of her own chest. Tori broke the awkward silence.

“How do you expect me to clean this juice off my back?” She asked, annoyed. 

“There is no way I’m doing it for you.” Jade ignored the small part of her that wanted to and smirked. “At least your dress is already red.” 

Tori groaned. “Now my back will be sticky and cold for the rest of the night.”

“Quit complaining. Miss Perfect can handle a soggy dress.” Jade said sharply.

“Oh, really? Who is it that’s constantly trying to be better than me?” Tori replied.

“Only because you’re a prissy little bitch!”

“And you’re a rude asshole who obsessively targets me all the time!”

“You deserve it!” Jade snarled.

“Why?” Tori snapped.

“Because you keep taking everything away from me!”

Tori stopped. She stared at Jade. 

“Is everything okay in there?” Beck called.

“It’s fine!” Jade snapped. She didn’t meet Tori’s eyes. 

“Even after the music awards?” Tori asked. “Jade, I thought it was your choice to give me your place.”

“It was…” Jade hesitated, then looked up at her, resentment building in her voice. “Do you know what my dad said to me when I got home that night? He said, ‘why was it Tori on that stage, and not you?’ All I hear from him anymore is ‘why can’t you be more like Tori? Tori would have gotten that lead. Tori would have gotten that A.’ Tori, Tori, Tori, TORI!”

Tori didn’t say anything.

“I am so sick of being compared to  _ you _ , a nobody who is lucky to even be here at Hollywood Arts. You aren’t nearly as perfect as you think you are. You’re  _ nothing _ .” Jade deflated. “He hardly knows you, yet he’d clearly rather have you as a daughter.”

“Jade…”

“Don’t you dare say anything!”

Tori didn’t. Instead, she stepped forward and hugged Jade.

“I’m sorry.”

A beat. 

Jade shuddered.

_ Why did she do that? _

Why didn’t Tori hate her? Why didn’t she fight back? Why did she apologize?

_ I hate her. I hate her. I hate her. _

But for some reason, that didn’t seem to matter. Hugging Tori was the best feeling in the world. 

Jade hugged her back.

Maybe “hate” wasn’t really the right word anymore. 

“It’s awful quiet in there!” Beck said, concerned.

“We’re okay!” Tori reassured him. 

Jade finally pulled away from Tori and caught a glance of herself in the mirror. Her entire face was a vibrant red. Tori noticed this and smiled, her own face taking on a darker tint. 

The sudden urge to slap her was almost overwhelming, but Jade ignored it. She took a moment to straighten out her dress and hair before striding confidently out of the restroom as though nothing had happened. 

Beck looked at each of them, bewildered, before muttering a question to Tori. Her response was short, and they all walked out in silence.

Once outside, Jade noticed that the party’s energy had changed. They must have missed the Prome royalty announcement, which filled Jade with considerable relief. She shuddered at the memory of last year’s announcement.

The music was slower now, and the partygoers were beginning to wind down. Cat and Robbie were talking excitedly with one another at the buffet table, and Jade’s icy heart warmed a little at the sight. Cat looked so happy.

Beck and his date proceeded onto the dance floor, and Andre and his new girlfriend were nowhere to be seen. Jade decided not to think too hard on it. 

Unfortunately, this meant that she and Tori were left alone.

Jade felt weird. She wanted to do… something. She wasn’t clear on what that “something” was, but she really wanted to do it. But her body wouldn’t move. She just stood there, waiting for something to happen, waiting for Tori to do something.

_ Just… do it. _

She grabbed Tori’s hand. “You’re dancing with me.”

“I’m what now?” She looked bewildered, but ,surprisingly, not entirely opposed. They joined the crowd on the dance floor.

Tori was the last person Jade expected to have her first school dance with, and Tori’s perplexed expression said the feeling was mutual. It soon became clear that neither of them knew how to dance, but they were in too deep to turn back. The others around them were too absorbed in their own partners to care that the two most renowned rivals in Hollywood Arts were dancing together.

“What are you doing?” Tori asked.

“Shut up.”

Jade placed Tori’s hands on her shoulders, and she put her own hands on Tori’s waist. What  _ was _ she doing? This could only end badly. People would find out. Her father would find out.

_ Fuck him. _

They swayed stiffly, out of step with each other and the music. They stared at their feet. They didn’t dare look up. Then the music began to rise, and they grew more confident. More comfortable. They danced together, so close that they had nowhere else to look but into each other’s eyes while they fell into step with one another, standing out from the crowd, yet not drawing attention. Through a sheer act of boldness, the two former rivals danced, past conflicts and grudges shelved for this one night. 

Jade smiled.

All too soon, the song ended, as did their reverie. Suddenly Tori’s eyes belonged to Tori again, and not some long lost lover. Jade jerked away, aware that the other partygoers might be looking. Even so, Jade didn’t regret anything. 

She cleared her throat, feeling somewhat high.  
Tori smiled. “Come on, let’s go get something to drink, and _don’t_ get any ideas.” 

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Jade said sweetly. She followed Tori to the buffet table at her request. 

The rest of the night was relatively uneventful. Tori gathered the rest of their friends and she, Jade, Andre, Beck, Cat, and Robbie all talked long into the night. Then the six of them danced together to upbeat music to close out the party, and they all headed home.

Jade said nothing as she drove Tori to her house. Somehow, Prome hadn’t been nearly as torturous as she had thought it would be, and having Tori around wasn’t exactly a death sentence either. Jade kept casting sideways glances at Tori, who was gazing out the window with a dreamy expression. She was beautiful under the passing streetlights in the dark.

_ What is she thinking about? _

Who cares? Why did looking at Tori make Jade feel so weird? There was something about that dance…

Jade almost crashed the car at her next thought.

_ No. Absolutely not. _

“What’s wrong?” Tori asked, alarmed.

“Nothing! Everything’s fine.” Jade flipped off the angry driver next to her and decided to just focus on the road rather than let her mind run away from her.

There was no way she was in love with Tori.

Tori’s house came into view, and Jade parked the car. The two of them sat there for a moment. Jade groaned.

“Apparently you’re too stupid to open the door on your own.” She said, unbuckling her seatbelt.

“Hey! I can do it myself.” Tori replied indignantly. 

Jade met her on the other side of the car, and was nearly hit in the face when Tori opened the door. 

“Watch it!”

Tori smirked. “Told you I could do it.”

“Whatever.”

The two had transitioned from sitting awkwardly inside the car to standing awkwardly outside the car. Jade was growing increasingly irritated.

“Just go inside already!” She snapped.

“Alright! Calm down.”

Jade rolled her eyes. 

Tori began to walk toward her front door, then stopped, turning back to Jade. 

“What is it now?” Jade groaned. 

Her question was answered with a kiss. 

_... _

A few moments passed before Jade stepped away.

“W-why did you do that?” Jade stared at Tori in shock.

“Because I felt like it.” Tori smiled and walked briskly to her front door, leaving Jade speechless. She leaned on the car as she watched Tori leave.

_ Damn it. I’m in love with Tori _ .


End file.
